Firefighters Gage Brouillette, Dylan McCarthy, Sean Russell and Ryan Talbot are sworn in to the department by Town Clerk Jayne Boissonneault. (Courtesy Dracut Fire Department)

DRACUT — Fire Chief Richard Patterson is pleased to report that the Dracut Fire Department held it’s third-annual awards and swearing in ceremony on Tuesday night at Harvey J. Gagnon Harmony Hall.

Each year, the Dracut Fire Department sets aside a night to swear in new members, those receiving promotions and to recognize firefighters who performed extraordinary work.

Chief Richard Patterson opened the ceremony with a brief speech, followed by a benediction offered by Fire Department Chaplain Rev. Larry Zimmerman.

“Every day, the members of your fire department give nothing short of 100%. They face the challenges presented to them day in and day out with dedication and professionalism,” said Chief Patterson. “I am proud to be a part of such an outstanding group of individuals. They all deserve recognition.”

The event started with the swearing in of four new firefighters. Firefighters Gage Brouillette, Dylan McCarthy, Sean Russell and Ryan Talbot were each sworn in to the department by Town Clerk Jayne Boissonneault, and then had their badges pinned on by family members.

Four new lieutenants were then sworn in by Clerk Boissoneault. Lieutenants Johnathan Carroca, Brian Gagnon, Brian Lanteigne and Christopher Leavitt were sworn in and then had their badges pinned to their uniforms by family members.

Capt. Sean Bushnell was also promoted and sworn in by Clerk Boissoneault before his wife pinned his new badge onto his uniform.

The first award to be presented was the Louise Tremblay Community Service Award, named after one of the community’s most active residents. This year’s award went to Eagle Scout Luke Pare, who proposed, presented, and then executed a major project to color code the town’s fire hydrants so that the color of the hydrants quickly informs firefighters of the flow rate the hydrants offer.

“This identification can be the difference between knocking a fire down quickly, or having the fire win and increase the loss for occupants,” said Chief Patterson.

Next was the Citizens Award, which was presented to resident Kathryn Gosselin for smelling smoke and quickly alerting her neighbors to a fire on Feb. 23.

Dracut resident Logan Santos holds the department’s Young Heroes Award for alerting his family to a June 7 fire in his home and then closing the door behind him, preventing both injuries and more extensive damage to his home. (Courtesy Dracut Fire Department)

“If not for Kathryn and her efforts, the other residents may not have survived, and damage to the building could have been catastrophic,” said Chief Patterson.

Resident Logan Santos was the next person to be recognized, as he was presented with the Young Heroes Award. On June 7, Santos was home alone with two younger siblings, a babysitter and the family dog when a fire broke out in the basement of his home. Santos ensured that everyone got out of the house safely, and then closed the door behind him to help slow the fire’s spread.

“His actions that morning saved the lives of four people and their pet,” said Chief Patterson. “Logan is truly a Young Hero!”

Dispatcher Josh Tirrell, of the Northern Middlesex Regional Communications Center, was the recipient of the Distinguished Dispatcher Award for his response to a Feb. 10 call in which a juvenile was having a seizure, turning blue and not breathing. Dispatcher Tirrell provided Emergency Medical Dispatch instructions over the telephone that allowed friends and relatives of the young victim to clear the victim’s airway. By the time firefighters arrived at the scene, the juvenile was breathing again.

Dracut Fire Department Mechanic Peter Dion holds the Chiefs Award, presented by Chief Patterson for Dion’s commitment to keeping the department’s fleet of vehicles running and ready for action. (Courtesy Dracut Fire Department)

The Chief’s Award, presented at the discretion of Chief Patterson, was presented to the department’s mechanic, Peter Dion, who is responsible for ensuring all Dracut Fire Department vehicles are ready and operating at any given moment.

“His commitment to ensuring that our fleet is ready, and repaired when needed, is second to none,” Chief Patterson said.

This year’s Rescue Medal Award, presented for extraordinary actions by firefighters, went to Lt. Brian McCarthy, Firefighter Michael Petrilli II, and Firefighter Andrew Poitras. All three men, aboard Engine 3, were dispatched to Pelham, New Hampshire to provide mutual aid on a medical call on Sept. 23, 2023. All three firefighters, who responded because Pelham Firefighters were out on other calls, assisted efforts to provide critical, life-saving care to an individual who was in cardiac arrest. By the time an ambulance arrived at the scene, the firefighter’s efforts had led to the patient regaining a pulse and beginning to breathe on his own. The patient later made a full recovery.

Four distinguished service awards were presented to firefighters for exemplary service to the department.

Lt. Kevin Martin, who recently retired, was recognized for his dedication to the department and for the work he did even as his retirement approached to educate and train younger firefighters.

Capt. Michael Seigler holds the Distinguished Service Award for his work automating the department’s hiring and attendance system, as well as helping the department transition to a new records management system. (Courtesy Dracut Fire Department)

Capt. Sean Bushnell was recognized for his work to reinvigorate the department’s Juvenile Fire Starters Program, which seeks to intervene in the lives of young people who get arrested or identified as having started fires. Bushnell, who works on the department’s Fire Investigation Unit, helped troubled youths learn the consequences of setting fires, while also providing guidance and stability to youth who have little of it otherwise. The program was once nearly defunct, but Capt. Bushnell reinvigorated it, and now runs one of only a few such programs in the state.

Capt. Michael Seigler was also recognized for automating the department’s hiring and attendance system, as well as helping the department transition to a new records management system.

The final Distinguished Service Award went to Lt. Brian Lanteigne, who saved the department tens of thousands of dollars over the past few years by helping to upfit several vehicles in the department’s fleet, as well as to repair emergency lighting on many of the fleets vehicles.

Chief Patterson, who retires at the end of October, said it was “bittersweet” to oversee his final awards ceremony, and also introduced Capt. Michael Cunha, who has been appointed by the Board of Selectmen to be the department’s next chief.